


Letting the Cat out of the Bag

by babygotbackstrom



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Animal Transformation, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 07:21:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10759464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babygotbackstrom/pseuds/babygotbackstrom
Summary: “Where’s Papa?” asks Burkie. He squints. “What the hell is that?”“Ovi’s new cat,” says Dima.“Can he play centre?” asks Osh. “Because we’re missing our centre.”





	Letting the Cat out of the Bag

**Author's Note:**

  * For [screamlet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamlet/gifts), [angularmomentum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angularmomentum/gifts).



> YAY it's the animal transformation round. warnings for tooth-rotting fluff.

Alex goes downstairs. It’s too early but Nicky slipped out about two hours ago and Alex’s bed is cold. 

The kitchen tiles are cold, too. Being ignored by Blake is a surprise, but not as surprising as the large white and ginger cat sitting on the kitchen counter. 

“What,” says Alex. 

Blake doesn’t know whether to bark or whine so he makes a whuffling sound instead. 

The cat says nothing.

“How did you get in?” asks Alex. “Did Kolya let you in by mistake? Strange, hmm? His peripheral awareness is usually so good. Maybe I fucked it out of him.”

The cat lets out a loud meow. 

“No,” says Alex. “You’re right. We’re not at that stage of our relationship yet.”

Apparently, they’re still at the stage where Nicky sneaks out without saying goodbye. Alex doesn’t quite get it. Even their coach jokes about how married they are but Nicky always shrugs it off. 

Alex walks around the counter to coax the coffee machine into action when he stands on something soft. Nicky’s clothes.

“What?” Alex frowns. “Did Nicky leave the house naked?” Blake doesn’t have an answer but the cat fixes him with the most condescending expression Alex has seen since the last time he talked to Nicklas Backstrom. “Did he take my clothes?”

The cat lets out another, louder meow

“No, you’re right. That’s stupid. He’s more likely to have left naked.” Alex grabs his phone from where he left it charging on the kitchen counter overnight. (Nicky has a thing about phones in the bedroom and Alex is surprisingly okay with it because it means he and Nicky can concentrate completely on each other without being distracted by Burkie blowing up the WhatsApp group because Willy wouldn’t agree that Burkie is the prettiest or something.) He presses call and waits for Nicky to answer. 

There’s a buzzing from the floor. 

Alex picks up Nicky’s pants (“stupid dad pants, Nicky”) and unearths both Nicky’s phone and his keys. 

“What.”

.

“Ooooovi,” says Zhenya. “Why did you bring a cat to practice?”

Alex doesn’t quite know how to say that he didn’t mean to bring the cat but he snuck into the car without Alex realising until he was most of the way to Kettler. The cat doesn’t seem to mean any harm but he also doesn’t seem to want to let Alex out of his sight any time soon. Alex knows how he feels.

“Why did you bring an _ugly_ cat to practice?” asks Dima. 

“He is _not_ ugly,” says Alex, gathering the cat to him. The cat doesn’t look any more impressed by this even though Alex is clearly defending its honour. “He is _perfect_. Has anyone seen Nicky?”

The cat meows but headbutts Alex’s chin. 

“Where’s Papa?” asks Burkie. He squints. “What the hell is that?” 

“Ovi’s new cat,” says Dima. "Look at his toes. They're like little beans." He is appropriately enamoured of Alex's cat.

“Can he play centre?” asks Osh. “Because we’re missing our centre.”

The cat wriggles and squirms and Alex puts him down. He stalks off, the tip of his tail swishing slightly, and appears to be heading in the direction of the rink. Alex spares a glance at Nicky’s empty stall. 

“Shit,” he says. 

“What’s that?” asks Beags.

“I think Nicky was kidnapped.”

“What.” Beags is looking at Alex like he’s an idiot but because he’s Beags, the expression is kindly and somehow makes Alex feel worse. “Why do you think that Nicky was kidnapped?”

“Because he’s not here!” says Alex, a little hysterically. “I got up this morning and he was _gone_ but all his things are at my house and now there’s a fat ugly cat following me around.”

“Would we call it fat?” asks Beags. 

“Big-boned,” says Alex, waving his hand. 

“Right. Okay. So let’s park the bit where Nicky vanished from _your_ house this morning but we are coming back to that. Does the cat look at all familiar to you?” 

“No,” says Alex. “Neighbour’s cat is black.”

 

Beags looks stern. “Does the cat remind you of anyone?”

Alex looks at the doorway through which the cat had vanished, presumably with the sole intent of terrorising Willy. 

“Oh.”

Beags nods slowly. “There it is.”

“You’re telling me that Nicky is that cat?”

Beagle shrugs. “Why not?”

Alex splutters. People don’t just turn into cats. They definitely don’t do that. That’s a thing people don’t do. Beags looks super serious but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a prank. “Are you in on it too, Beags? Ha ha, let’s pull prank on captain right before playoffs.”

“Listen, Ovi. There are things I joke about and animal transformation is not one of them.”

Alex stares at Beags. It seems to be the only response. 

“Ovi, what’s my surname?”

“Oh,” says Alex. “Oh.” He frowns. “But my name means sheep and I don’t turn into a sheep.” 

“And for that we are truly grateful,” says Beags. “Now, come on. Let’s see how Nicky the cat is running drills.”

“You seem very calm about the fact my — alternate is a cat.”

Beags shrugs. “He’ll change back. It’s probably just a stress thing.” He smiles. “And he’s our alternate too.”

.

They hear a roar from the ice. 

“Oh my _god_ , Ovi, this _monster_ of yours scratched me! I’m _bleeding_.”

“Okay, Willy,” says Alex, distracted. “Four minutes for cat. You go practice.”

The cat, Nicky, perches on the low wall at the bench, tail swishing every time an errant puck goes past. 

“Oh my god,” whispers Alex. How could he not have seen it. 

Nicky, the cat, looks at him through narrowed eyes. 

“Why is he frowning at me?” he asks, tugging Beags’ sleeve.

“That’s how cats smile,” says Beagle. 

Nicky blinks slowly.

“Oh my god,” says Beagle. 

“What?”

“Nicky really likes you, huh?”

Alex blinks, but not like the cat. He blinks rapidly and with great confusion. It’s not that he ever thought Nicky didn’t like him because no one does what they do together without some degree of tolerance, at least. He skates over to Nicky and pulls off one of his gloves and rubs the top of Nicky’s head. Nicky purrs. 

“Oh.” 

“That’s not fair!” says Willy. “Why does your dumb cat let you do that and not me?”

Nicky spits. 

“My Nicky is very smart,” says Alex.

Willy blinks at him. “You named your cat after Papa?” 

Jojo skates over and smiles at the cat, who carefully stands up and walks along the wall to Marcus and headbutts him. 

“What,” wails Willy. “Favouritism!”

“Standards,” says Jojo, tickling Nicky under the chin. He murmurs to Nicky in Swedish and something occurs to Alex.

“You, ah, know this cat?” asks Alex, carefully.

“We met in Russia,” says Jojo, equally carefully. “Lots of stray animals in Sochi.”

“Oh,” says Alex. He feels a little miserable. If Nicky is stressed enough to turn into a _cat_ , like the time he missed out on a gold medal game in Russia, then there must be something wrong. He looks across the ice to where Beags is talking to Trotz, whose eyebrows are doing their usual mesmerising dance across his forehead, before he nods.

Trotz blows his whistle. “Okay, everyone in! All here apart from Backy, who’s taking a maintenance day.”

Alex turns to skate over to the rest of his team. Before he goes, he twists, impulsively, and places a kiss between Nicky’s ears. “I look after you, Nicky,” he says. 

.

Alex drives home in silence. He doesn’t even play any of his fantastic music that Nicky seems to hate so much. Nicky sits in the passenger seat, tail curled around his front paws.

When they pull into the driveway, Alex turns to Nicky. “You’re not ugly, you know.”

Nicky stares at him with wide, round eyes.

“Anything but. And you’re not fat. You’ve a lot of fur but look.” Alex extends a finger. “Like touching a cloud.” He gently pokes Nicky, whose ears twitch slightly. “And you shouldn’t be stressed. Playoffs are nearly here but I’m here, too, Nicky. I hope that’s enough. I want it to be enough. So you don’t go turning into cat if we don’t get stupid Cup or stupid ring or if we have to deal with Crosby’s fat ass again.”

Nicky chirps. It might be a laugh but Alex isn’t sure. He smiles all the same.

“Come inside, Nicky. I think I have some chicken for you.”

The car is suddenly filled with the sound of thunderous purring. 

.

Nicky isn’t one for Instagram but Alex can’t resist posting a photo of Nicky and Blake curled up beside Alex on the couch. _Looking after friend’s cat haha ))))_ is the caption. 

.

Alex wakes up and the bed next to him is empty. There’s some cat hair clinging to the pillow next to his. He sighs.

His bed is cold, and the kitchen tiles are cold too, but Nicky is swearing at the coffee maker. 

“Enjoy your cat holiday?” asks Alex. His voice sounds rough.

Nicky turns, and smiles, and crooks his finger. It’s only when Alex’s face is pressed against the side of Nicky’s neck and Nicky is stroking Alex’s back that Nicky says a word.

“I’m here, too, okay?” He kisses the side of Alex's head. "It's more than enough."


End file.
